


Girl Talk

by MadameAngel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-12
Updated: 2012-06-12
Packaged: 2017-11-07 14:59:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/432416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameAngel/pseuds/MadameAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever wondered exactly how Hermione knows why Cho is so upset about kissing Harry and all that during Order of the Phoenix? Well, now you know.</p><p>Originally published on fanfiction.net 2007</p>
            </blockquote>





	Girl Talk

Hermione Granger rolled her eyes and left the common room.  _Trust Harry and Ron to leave their homework_ again,  _the idiots..._  she thought as she headed for the girl's bathroom. When she opened the door, she heard the muffled sounds of someone sobbing in the far cubicle. She walked quietly over and knocked on the door.

"Are you okay?" she asked to whomever was inside. There was a loud sniff, followed by the sound of someone blowing her nose.

"Who is it?"

"It's Hermione Granger." She stepped away as the lock scraped back and Cho Chang walked out, drying her eyes with a bit of toilet tissue.

"Hi," Cho said thickly, with a little smile.

"Hello, Cho. Are you okay?" Hermione repeated.

"Well... not really," Cho admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"Normally, I wouldn't... but since you're one of his closest friends..." Cho trailed off, tears spilling down her face again.

"Oh," said Hermione with a little smile. " _Him_."

"Yeah," Cho sighed. "Can we go someplace else? I don't want just anyone walking in, y'know?"

"I have an idea," Hermione said. She and Cho walked through the nearly deserted castle to the blank stretch of wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls.  _We need somewhere to talk, just to hang out and talk alone..._  she thought as she walked past the wall. When the polished door appeared, she pulled it open and walked inside.

The room was considerably smaller than the one they used for D.A. meetings, but there was a fireplace, a squashy sofa, a window (through which they could see students skating on the lake), and a small table with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate on it. Cho smiled.

"Why I didn't think of coming in here before..." she muttered, sinking into the couch and picking up a hot chocolate. Hermione sat next to her and picked up her own mug. They sat in silence for a few moments. Then Cho took a breath.

"I guess it all started when Cedric asked me to the Yule Ball last year," she said thoughtfully. "I was so flattered that I said yes immediately. Then when Harry asked me, I felt awful. Not that I didn't have fun with Cedric, but I really liked Harry and I wanted to go with him too...but Cedric was so nice, and I found myself falling for him too, and then I felt even worse, because I had liked Harry too...But after a while I decided it didn't matter that much, I mean, I had Cedric, and I was happy, and Harry didn't seem too put out about it all, so I figured it wouldn't matter so much..."

Tears were gathering in Cho's eyes again. She sniffed and took a large gulp of hot chocolate. "When Harry appeared after the Triwizard... and Cedric was dead... I-i-i didn't know what to do. I liked Cedric, a lot, and I liked Harry too, and now Cedric was dead. And Harry had been with him when he died, and it was all so confusing, and I feel bad that I still like Harry when he was with Cedric..." Cho was talking very fast now, her chocolate cup abandoned on her knees, tears splashing down her cheeks.

"I feel almost like it's...insulting, I guess to Cedric because I like Harry now, and Cedric is dead, and...I want to go out with Harry, but I don't want people to think I'm a tart...I mean, if Cedric died, people would want me to be loyal to him, because we were together when he died. But I really like Harry too... And now I don't even know who I like better. I mean, Cedric was very smart, and popular, and brave, but so is Harry, just look at all of the stuff he's done! And there's also the problem of Harry being younger than me, people might think I was a pedophile or something..." One of Cho's hands knocked into the hot chocolate cup at her knee, sending it flying onto the rug and spilling all over her robes. "Oh no..." she moaned.

" _Scourgify_ ," Hermione said. In an instant, Cho's robes were clean, and her mug was immediately filled again with hot chocolate. "Anyway, I wouldn't worry about being considered a pedophile, Cho," Hermione assured her. "My mum is three years older than my dad, and that's never been a problem for them, and I've also got a friend who's dad is ten years older than her mum, and no one's bothered by that either."

Cho shrugged. "I guess you're right..." She fell silent, staring into the flames of the fireplace. "I'm probably just over-reacting. It's probably fine that I like Harry, even though I liked Cedric before..."

"Of course it is, Cho," Hermione said, reaching out and putting her hand on Cho's shoulder. "You could like Harry even if Cedric were still alive, there's nothing wrong with that."

"Well... there is one thing," Cho said with half of a smile.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to be kicked off the Quidditch team. I've been flying so horribly lately, because of all this, and I'm just so worried. I love Quidditch, it's one of the greatest things I've been doing lately, besides the D.A., of course, what with Umbridge having a go at all the other teachers. She's ruined everything..."

"Yes..." Hermione said. "But that's what the D.A. is for, you know. To un-do all the ruining that Umbridge has done. And it's working, too."

"It is..." Cho smiled, then she sighed. "I dunno... I like Harry, and the D.A. has been great because I get to see him, but..." she blushed "I'd like to do more than just see him...you know?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "Could I help?" Cho nodded. "Well, this week is the last D.A. meeting before the holidays. You could stay after, I'll get Ronald out of the way, and Harry will stay back, I know he will, he's head over heels for you. You could wish him a Happy Christmas, and...well...y'know." She grinned.

"Do you think it'd work?" Cho asked.

"I think so. That is, if you want it to, of course."

"I do, but...are you sure he'd be okay with that? I mean, he might be offended at me coming at him like that, and..."

"No, trust me, he'll be fine," Hermione said reassuringly.

"Well, if you really think so..."

"I do."

"Well...what have I got to lose?" Cho shrugged, then raised her hot chocolate. "Here's to...erm..."

"The D.A.," Hermione suggested, raising her mug too.

"The D.A." Hermione and Cho drank the rest of their hot chocolate to the D.A., then stood up to go.

"Thank you, Hermione. It felt really good just to talk to somebody about all of that. I would talk to Marietta, but she'd probably laugh at me. She doesn't like Harry all that much, I just made her come with me to the D.A. because I'd feel stupid on my own."

"Anytime you need to talk, let me know. I'm not very experienced, but I'll listen," Hermione smiled.

"Thank you," Cho said again. She hesitated for a moment, then hugged Hermione quickly. "Well, I'd better be getting back to my dormitory, it's almost nine o'clock. Good night."

"Good night." Hermione said. She walked back to the Gryffindor common room feeling considerably happier than when she'd left it.

Later that week, as the last D.A. meeting was drawing to a close, Hermione caught Cho's eye and smiled. Cho bit her lip and smiled nervously back. When everyone rushed for the door, Hermione grabbed Ron and steered him out so that he wouldn't hang back and wait for Harry. On the way out, she walked past Cho and gave her hand an encouraging, friendly squeeze.

Once her and Ron reached the common room, she made sure that Ron started working on his Transfiguration homework before pulling out a fresh roll of parchment and beginning a letter to Viktor Krum. In the back of her mind, however, she wondered why, and her eyes kept drifting from her letter to where Ron was lying on the floor, struggling through his homework. Ron looked up at her suddenly, but Hermione was spared the awkwardness by the sudden appearance of Harry, who looked just as lost as if he'd just had his memory modified. Hermione and Ron looked at each other for a moment, and Hermione had to hold back a grin.

"What kept you?" Ron asked. Harry didn't answer.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged.

"What's up?" said Ron. "What's happened?" Harry didn't answer him either. After a moment, Hermione's curiosity got the better of her.

"Is it Cho?" she asked. Harry looked at her in surprise, and she grinned.


End file.
